


The runaways

by TashxTARDIS



Series: The Runaways [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Post Season 4 AU, or wherever they are now, there is no space base
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-11-30 19:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11470224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TashxTARDIS/pseuds/TashxTARDIS
Summary: Going on the run is way more fun than being captured. All they need is time, time to get away and time to heal.or A season four AU where the team goes on the run





	1. The great ATM tour of Washington DC

“I’m not saying that we're totally gonna get locked up, but if we do how about we get some food first.” 

The team nodded in agreement, all starving after not actually ingesting any real solid food for the last ten days while trapped in the framework. The team started to peel out of the ruined base, leaving Fitz and Simmons in the room alone. The air between them was still awkward. Jemma found it hard to breathe. There was also the lump in her throat was still too raw, and trying to fix it now would just make it hurt even more. 

“We should go. Both of us, leaving. Right now.” Jemma motioned toward the door the others had just left through, giving him a nervous smile. She hoped that maybe if she acted like everything was normal, soon enough it would be. She wanted to feel her hand tucked away in his and his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder, his lips on hers. 

“I’m coming with you,” Fitz promised, “We're all in this together remember.” 

Jemma twined their hands together and pulled him out the door. His fingers still fit perfectly between hers and Jemma relishes in how right it feels She spent ten days thinking she would never get to hold his hand again or hear him say her in with love in his voice instead of the sharp hatred he felt for her in the framework. But here they were, on the Run together, his hand tucked safely in hers. She never wanted to ever let go again. 

They caught up with the rest of the team in the hanger and found them all piled into one of the last seven seater cars of shield. Luckily Mace had yet to paint a giant shield logo on this one so they were one step away from not being caught. The number plate was another problem but Jemma knew for a fact that General Talbot didn’t have those on file so unless they were spotted, they should be fine. 

Jemma got in the car next to next to Coulson and strapped herself into the middle seat. Fitz got in next to her meaning she was squished in the middle. Fitz somehow managed to leave as much space between them as possible, his body pressed up against the door. Jemma wished he would stop with all this nonsense. She was tired and hungry and all she wanted was a good meal, a warm bed and a cuddle from her boyfriend. That’s if he actually touched her. All the affection had been instigated by her, the hand holding and their hug in the pod. He could barely look at her. 

“Everyone ready to go?” May called from the front, and after a round of mumbled yesses from the rest of the team she peeled out of the playgrounds hanger for one last time. It was a weird feeling knowing the place they had called home for the last three and a half years was gone. All their belongings destroyed in an instant. This was what it felt like to lose everything, and the last thing she hung onto for dear life couldn’t even look at her. 

“Come closer, Fitz,” Jemma sighed, tugging him closer. Once she was hip to hip with her she reached her arm up over his shoulders. 

“You don’t have to worry about us, Fitz,” Jemma promised quietly into his ear “Can’t we just pretend it didn’t happen, just for now. Just until we have the time and the space to talk about it.” 

There was a beat of silence before Fitz nodded, “okay.” 

They were on the freeway before any of them spoke again. They didn’t even have a plan yet, other than getting food. Jemma hoped they would stop at a diner or something to get a proper meal, but they were in a rush to get out of the city and find somewhere to set up camp for the night so they instead drove into the nearest McDonalds. They didn’t spend any time deciding on their meals, instead they let May order seven big mac combos in the restaurant's drive-through. They were on the road again in minutes. 

“What do we do now?” Daisy asked from the back. 

“We need money,” Coulson said, using a napkin to wipe the sauce from around his mouth, May used the last of our cash on this food, and we’ve got no laptops, and nowhere to go.”

“We could go to an ATM then. But they can track ATMs, and if we call stand there and use the same one they’ll find us in minutes.” Daisy had a point, but Jemma had an idea. 

“What If we travel to a lot of different ATM’s, each of us using different ATM’s to withdraw as much as we can from our accounts at once.”

“A wild goose chase,” Coulson nodded “I like it. And every time we withdraw from the shield accounts. And that money should tide us over until we can get out of the city.” 

They were still on the freeway, which meant they still had a good half hour before they would even reach the city. Jemma took that as an opportunity to enjoy her meal. Next, to her, Fitz had already finished his, and head was starting to droop against the wall of the car. He looked so young when he was asleep, like the weight of the world had yet to be dropped on his shoulders. But he also looked so much older. Jemma remembered before she got sucked away by the monolith that he was her handsome but still boyish best friend, then when she got back he had turned into a man, with stubble and a new hair cut. He looked rugged and Jemma liked it. Now he just looked strained. The bags under his eyes were a galaxy of colours, so dark that Jemma would convince they would never fade even if he slept for a thousand years. His hands were clenched in his lap, and Jemma wanted to reach over and smooth them out but she was scared to wake him. Instead, she draped her arm back over his shoulder, pulling him into a more comfortable position against her side. 

The car was mostly quiet, something that made it really easy to rest her cheek atop Fitz’s head and fall into her own slumber. 

\- - 

“Simmons,” A hand shook her arm, pulling her from her slumber “Hey Simmons. We're at the first ATM.”  
Jemma’s vision was still blurry as she looked around the car. Coulson and May were both outside standing at an ATM. Mack and Elena were gone too, probably keeping watch for any of Talbots’s government goons or making out or something. Fitz was still asleep beside her and instinct told her not to wake him yet. Daisy had taken Coulson’s seat beside her, her hand still resting on Jemma’s arm. 

“Mack and Elena went to the bathroom,” Daisy informed her “You know for a big guy, Mack sure has a small bladder.” 

Jemma chuckled. 

They went quiet again, both of them focused on the sleeping man beside them. Jemma leaned over and pressed a kiss to his temple, sighing when he stirred and woke up. 

“Morning,” He murmured. 

“It’s not morning,” Jemma whispered, “Go back to sleep.” 

He nodded and closed his eyes again. Jemma smiled at his cuteness. It was almost as if he was back to his old self; cute and totally unaware of his surroundings. 

“Are you two okay?” Daisy asked. Jemma had been asking herself that question ever since she and Fitz had been reunited, but the there hadn’t been the time to talk about anything. 

“I don’t know,” Jemma sighed “Part of me doesn’t even care. All I’m focused on right now is making sure that he feels okay. But the other part of me just wants him to hold me.”

Daisy nodded “I get it. After Lincoln died, I was so angry with him for sacrificing himself for me when I didn’t deserve it, but that night when I went to bed all I wanted was for him to be there, telling me a silly joke or making me watch the Bachelor or something.” 

Lucky for Jemma, when they finally get to bed that night Fitz would be there right beside her. At least she had the reassurance that one day he will be able to forgive himself, even if he couldn’t look at himself right now. 

The car doors opened again and the rest of their team climbed in. 

“We can only withdraw eighty at once, but that should be enough to tide us over until we can get out of DC,” Coulson said as he strapped himself back in next to Jemma. They drove out of the mall car park, doing their best to avoid the obvious security cameras. 

“Where are we?” Fitz yawned beside her, rubbing the sleep out if his eyes. 

“We're still in DC,” Jemma told him “We're on our way to the second ATM.” 

Her body was frozen, waiting for him to say anything about her arm over his shoulders or how close their faces were but he stayed quiet. His eyes were fixed on the scenery outside, or what he could see of it in the middle of the night. Maybe he didn’t mind their closeness, or maybe he was too scared to say anything that could hurt her feelings. It killed her to think that he thought their future was dead, but until she told him otherwise that was what he’d believe. 

The second ATM wasn’t far from the first. May pulled up in a park close to the front of the mall and turned off the car. 

“Fitzsimmons?” Coulson asked, “You guys want to come.”

Jemma nodded and unbuckled her seat belt. She followed Fitz out of the car, handing him his bank card before they reached the ATM. She and Fitz had set up a joint account after they had agreed to move into a shared bunk. It seemed logical at the time, they hadn’t planned on ever separating. Now Jemma was starting to regret the decision. 

Fitzsimmons quickly took money out of their account, then Fitz took Jemma’s hand and led her around the corner of the building. 

“We need to talk,” Fitz said “Because I can’t go any longer pretending things are normal when they so obviously aren’t. I need time Jemma. I need to heal, and I need to do it by myself.”

Jemma felt the tears well up in her eyes. Part of her knew this was coming ever since Daisy had told her about Fitz’s life in the framework, but she had denied it. Fought so hard for it not to be true. Obviously, she hadn’t fought hard enough. 

“So, what? You’re breaking up with me?” Jemma tried to wipe the tears away before he could see them, but they were coming so fast and she couldn’t keep up. 

“Jemma…” Fitz sighed 

Jemma shook her head and took off running back to the car. She couldn’t stand to hear him say the words. She refused to let the sentence that threatened to end her world pass through her ears. She opened the car door and looked at Daisy and Elena in the back. Elena nodded, and let Jemma take her seat in the back. 

“What happened?” Daisy asked 

“He broke up with me,” Jemma could barely get the words out before sobs took over. Daisy bundled her in her arms, letting her cry onto her shoulder. 

“It’s okay,” Daisy murmured “It’s gonna be okay.” 

“How can you know that!” Jemma sobbed out. 

Daisy smiled into her friend’s hair “Because it’s Fitz. He can’t go five seconds without talking about you, or to you. He loves you.”

“You guys are like shampoo and conditioner,” Elena said, “You can’t have one without the other.”

Before Jemma could respond the car doors opened and Coulson and Fitz climbed back in. Fitz didn’t look at her, and Jemma wasn’t sure she wanted him to. She didn’t want him to see her like this, not right now. She needed to be strong for him so he would let her be there for him. 

She needed to talk to him, but not in front of their whole team. She had to wait. So, for now, she let herself fall asleep in Daisy’s arms.


	2. the great fix it of Washington DC

Jemma was jostled awake when the car drove over a bump. She reached out and grabbed the hands of the person next to her, letting them go straight away when she realized they weren’t Fitz’s. 

“Jemma?” Daisy’s whispered voice boomed in her head, somehow managing to speak over Fitz’s words looping around and around in her head. “I need time,” He had said, but did he ever think that she needed him. 

“I’m gonna fix this,” Daisy whispered 

“I don’t think you can,” Jemma whispered back, trying to ignore the tears that began to escape from her eyes. 

Daisy didn’t say anything else, but Jemma could almost see the cogs turning in her head. Trying to figure out a way to fix her friends. She knew she would probably be disappointed. 

Jemma felt the air in the car begin to boil, and thickness catching in her throat and making it hard to breathe. Luckily for her, it was only minutes until may drove into a car park of a road side motel. 

“We could probably go further, but I’m too tired to drive. We should be safe here for the night.” 

The team piled out of the car and walked briskly into the motel lobby. Jemma clung to Daisy’s side, half from exhaustion and half from needing reassurance that she was still there. Her best friend, her sister in so many ways. 

Daisy led them to a couch, sitting down next to her and wrapping her arm around her shoulder. The rest of the team stood awkwardly around them, while Coulson headed to the front desk. 

“I’m going to fix this,” Daisy promised again. 

“I don’t think you can,” Jemma sighed, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. 

“I know I can. Because I meant what I said, you and Fitz belong together. This is not how your story ends.” 

Jemma sighed and leaned her head on Daisy’s shoulder. Maybe she was right and Maybe she could fix her and Fitz, but it wasn’t going to take one night in a run down road side hotel. 

Coulson walked back over to the group, holding two sets of keys. 

“They only had two rooms available. Fitzsimmons and Daisy can share one and the rest of us can share the other.” 

Jemma looked over at Daisy in alarm, but Daisy just smiled. Maybe this was a part of her master plan. 

\--

The walk up to their room was one of the most awkward situations Jemma had ever been in, but opening the door to their room Jemma knew it was going to get even worse. 

“I’ll take the single. You guys take the double.” Fitz said, sitting softly on the single bed. Their room was a queen single and not a gross as Jemma had expected it to be. 

“Actually,” Daisy started, walking over to sit next to Fitz “I was hoping to take the single.” 

“Why?” Fitz asked softly, letting his head fall into his hands.

“Why what?” Daisy asked 

“Why are you doing this. I know you know what happened, I know Jemma told you and I know that face. You want to fix this but maybe its something we can’t fix.” 

Jemma felt the room closing in on her. Fitz was giving up. Completely giving up. He wasn't just taking a break to heal, he was completely giving up. 

Jemma felt her throat close up, her lungs screaming for air as the world fell apart around her. She slipped into the bathroom, trying to find fresh air, but the bathroom didn’t have any windows. She closed the door behind her and leaned on it, listening to Fitz and Daisy fight on the other side. 

“Do you even hear yourself?” Daisy asked him “You’re giving up on years of friendship and love because of something you didn’t even do?” 

“I did do it! It was me!” Fitz yelled. He was probably standing with his hands in his pockets, his gaze pointed at the ground. 

“It wasn’t you, you were in the Baltic being held prisoner by the Russian. The person who did all that stuff in the framework was whoever Aida brainwashed you to be.” 

“But it was still me. I wanted to do all that stuff, it felt natural.” 

Jemma felt tears begin to slip out of her eyes at his admission. 

“Of course it did. All the shit I did under hives influence felt natural. I wanted to do it all. But you were the one who told me that just because it felt natural doesn’t mean it was who I was.” 

She heard Fitz sigh “But this is different-“

“How!” Daisy interrupted him “How is this different. You were under her control, Fitz! You and Jemma are in love. Why should you deny yourself that?” 

“Because I had her down on her knees. Because I put a gun to her head and told her she meant nothing to me. How can she love me after that, how can she even bear to look at me?”

“Because I can,” Jemma said, opening the bathroom door. 

Both their gazes snapped to her, taking in her tear stained face and mussy hair. 

“All I want is you, Fitz,” Jemma sighed

She walked forward so she was standing right in front of him and took his hands in hers. 

“I know that you need time after what happened in the framework, but I need you to know that I don’t blame you. And that I still love you as much as I did before it all happened. More even.” 

She let go of one he has hands to dry the tears that began to fall from his eyes. 

“How?” He asked. 

“Because when I look at you, I don’t see the man you were in the framework, I see the sixteen-year-old I met so long ago. With bright eyes and crazy soft curls.” 

Jemma pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“You are so beautiful, Fitz, and I know that it is going to take you a long time to realize it so I want to be by your side until then, to remind you every day. Maybe speed up the process. Only if you’ll have me, of course”

Fitz smiled softly “I’ll always want you with me, Jemma. But I still need time. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

“I know exactly who you are,” Jemma murmured “you’re Fitz.”

Fitz leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. 

“I know you need to heal, Fitz, and I promise you I will be there every step of the way. By your side, where I belong.”

Jemma pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt at home in his arms, even though she was miles away from home. Even though said home had been destroyed in an explosion. Fitz would always be her home. 

The bathroom door opened behind her and Daisy walked out wearing a fluffy white robe. Jemma spun to face her, smiling softly when Fitz’s kept his arms wrapped around her. 

“At least this shit hole has robes. And cable.” 

Jemma laughed “We're gonna be living in a lot of shit holes, Daisy. Let’s hope all of them have cable.” 

\--

Later, when Fitz was taking his shower Jemma sat curled up with Daisy on the queen bed. 

“Did it work?” Daisy asked, “Did I fix you?”

Jemma remembered the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, his forehead resting against hers. They still had a long way long way to go, but they were back together. 

“Well, technically Fitz and I sorted it out for ourselves. But if you want all the credit then you are welcome to take it.” 

Daisy fist pumped the air, “All my life’s work went towards this achievement.”

Jemma chuckled “Well I have to say I’m very grateful for you pushing me and Fitz together.” 

Daisy ran her hand through Jemma’s hair “All I want is for you and Fitz to be happy, and I know that it’s gonna take a while for everything to be truly good again but we need to stick together. Can’t have you and Fitz breaking up.”

“No, we can’t.” Jemma smiled.

“You know,” Daisy began, nudging Jemma’s knee with her own “Last year when I ran away, it was because it wanted to lose myself. I didn’t want to be quake anymore. I didn’t even want to be Daisy. But maybe this time we find ourselves. Maybe it’s the moments like these, in the ratty hotel rooms that have cable and no wifi, that we can forget that the government is chasing us and become who we really are."

“Two scientists in love and a hacker.” 

“Two scientists in love and a hacker,” Daisy repeated, “I can drink to that.”


End file.
